Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation is an attempt to show the centrality of prayer in the Christian life, in faith
and obedience, according to Karl Barth.
It is argued that the Christian life was not the focus of Barth’s theology. The focus of his
theology was the divine reality upon which the Christian life is grounded and in which it
continually finds its own reality.
In its correspondence to and dependence upon God’s reality, God’s Word and work, the
Christian life is for Barth both faith and obedience, and at the core of faith and obedience, it
is prayer. The inseparable relationship between faith, obedience and prayer, is not due to
the nature of humanity, the Christian, or even the Christian life as such, but due to the divine
reality which gives faith, obedience and prayer its reality.
Faith and obedience are inseparably related. Both are equally impossible for humanity by its
own power and capacity. It is only by the grace of God in Jesus Christ, by the power of the
Holy Spirit, that humanity is justified and sanctified, thus turning its unbelief into faith and its
disobedience into obedience.
The unity of faith and obedience lies therein that they both form part of the one event of the
reconciliation between God and humanity, which is accomplished in Jesus Christ. Both form
part of the Self-revelation of this reconciliation by God’s Word. The reconciliation between
God and humanity, revealed by the Word of God, does not depend on faith and obedience,
but is effective by its own power and grace, which brings both faith and obedience
simultaneously into existence.
The reality of faith and obedience is a hidden reality, a divine reality, an eschatological
reality, which is not externally observable, but can only be believed in faith, to which we are
moving in obedience, and which we ask for in prayer.
Faith and prayer are also inseparably related. Faith, knowledge of God, is a personal
response to God’s gracious and miraculous Self-revelation, which humanity cannot produce
by its own power. And therefore faith is to pray.
Faith is always praying, for God’s Self-revelation never becomes the possession of the
believer, but is always given anew, thus necessitating faith to always ask anew for God’s
Self-revelation.
Faith knows God in personal response, knows God in asking always anew, and therefore
knows God in prayer. Faith only has knowledge of God by talking to God, by responding in
prayer to God’s prior Self-revelation to faith, and by asking for God to reveal God-self always
anew.
Obedience and prayer are also inseparably related. Both obedience and prayer exist in the
freedom of being bound unconditionally to God’s action and Word. Freedom is not freedom
from obligation, but the freedom of living within the claim of God’s lordship over our lives.
The freedom of obedience is the freedom to act in reaction to the action of God. It is the
liberation from pondering over different possibilities, and the freedom for living in the one and
only path laid before it, the path of obedience. The freedom of prayer is the freedom to respond in correspondence to the Word of God, by
which it is addressed and claimed. It is the liberation from all other voices and claims, and
the freedom to give witness to the one and only voice which claims its life in totality.
Faith, prayer and obedience are inseparably related. All three form part of the one Christian
life lived under the Lord, who is Lord over the whole of creation, and who is Lord over the
whole of the Christian life. In faith, obedience and prayer the Christian lives in
correspondence to God’s lordship over the world, the church and the individual.
Becoming a Christian, means believing in Jesus Christ. It means continually looking away
from oneself, to Jesus Christ, who justifies humanity despite its unbelief, despite its pride,
despite its faith in itself. Faith discards trust in itself, and trusts Jesus Christ completely.
Being a Christian, means obeying Jesus Christ. It means to surrender to Jesus Christ as the
only Lord whom one is to obey in life and in death. As Jesus Christ sanctifies disobedient
and slothful humanity, obedience is the freedom to rise and follow Jesus.
Acting as a Christian, means praying with Jesus Christ. It means to ask in the Name of
Jesus Christ, in the power and presence of Jesus Christ, in the grace and lordship of Jesus
Christ, that we will be able to believe what we cannot believe by our own power, and that we
will be able to obey what we cannot obey by our own power. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif is ‘n poging om aan te dui dat gebed in die hart staan van die Christelike
lewe, in beide geloof en gehoorsaamheid, volgens die teologie van Karl Barth.
In hierdie studie word aangevoer dat die Christelike lewe nie die fokus van Barth se teologie
was nie. Die fokus van sy teologie was die Goddelike werklikheid waarop die Christelike
lewe gegrond is en vanwaar dit voortdurend ‘n eie werklikheid ontvang.
In ooreenstemming met en in afhanklikheid van God se werklikheid, God se Woord en werk,
is die Christelike lewe volgens Barth gelyktydig geloof en gehoorsaamheid, en in die kern
van geloof en gehoorsaamheid, staan gebed. Die onskeibare verhouding tussen geloof,
gehoorsaamheid en gebed, is nie vanweë die aard van die mens, die Christen, of selfs die
Christelike lewe in sigself nie, maar vanweë die Goddelike realiteit wat aan geloof,
gehoorsaamheid en gebed hul werklikheid skenk.
Geloof en gehoorsaamheid staan in ‘n onskeibare verband tot mekaar. Beide is ewe
onmoontlik vir mense in hul eie krag and vermoë. Dit is net deur die genade van God in
Jesus Christus, deur die krag van die Heilige Gees, dat die mensdom geregverdig en
geheilig word, waardeur ongeloof in geloof, en ongehoorsaamheid in gehoorsaamheid
verander word.
Die eenheid van geloof en gehoorsaamheid lê daarin dat beide deel uitmaak van die een
gebeurtenis van versoening tussen God en mens, wat in Jesus Christus plaasvind. Beide
maak deel uit van die Self-openbaring van hierdie versoening deur God se Woord. Die
versoening tussen God en mens, wat die Woord van God openbaar, is nie afhanklik van
geloof en gehoorsaamheid nie, maar is effektief in eie krag, deur genade, en dit bring beide
geloof en gehoorsaamheid tot stand.
Die werklikheid van geloof en gehoorsaamheid is ‘n verborge werklikheid, ‘n Goddelike
werklikheid, ‘n eskatologiese werklikheid, wat nie van buite waarneembaar is nie, maar wat
slegs in geloof geglo kan word, waarnatoe ons beweeg in gehoorsaamheid, en waarvoor
ons vra in gebed.
Geloof en gebed staan ook in ‘n onskeibare verband tot mekaar. Geloof, kennis van God, is
‘n persoonlike antwoord op God se genadige en wonderbaarlike Self-openbaring, wat die
mens nie in eie krag kan skep nie. En daarom is geloof om te bid.
Geloof bid voortdurend, want God se Self-openbaring raak nooit die besitting van die
gelowige nie, maar word altyd opnuut gegee, wat dit noodsaaklik maak vir geloof om altyd
opnuut te vra vir God se Self-openbaring.
Geloof ken God deur ‘n persoonlike antwoord, deur altyd opnuut te vra, en daarom ken
geloof vir God in gebed. Geloof het slegs kennis van God deur met God te praat, deur in
gebed te antwoord op Gods voorafgaande Self-openbaring aan geloof, en deur vir God te
vra om Godself altyd opnuut te openbaar.
Gehoorsaamheid en gebed staan ook in ‘n onskeibare verband tot mekaar. Beide
gehoorsaamheid en gebed bestaan in die vryheid om onvoorwaardelik gebonde te wees aan
God se Woord en werk. Vryheid is nie vryheid van verpligtinge nie, maar die vryheid om te
leef binne die aanspraak van God se heerskappy oor ons lewens. Die vryheid van gehoorsaamheid is die vryheid om aktief op te tree in reaksie op die aksie
van God. Dit is om bevry te word van bepeinsing oor verskillende moontlikhede, en die
vryheid om te leef vir die een en enigste pad wat voor sigself lê, die pad van
gehoorsaamheid.
Die vryheid van gebed is die vryheid om te antwoord in ooreenstemming met die Woord van
God, waardeur die mens aangespreek word en in beslag geneem word. Dit is die bevryding
van alle ander stemme en aansprake, en die vryheid om te getuig van die een en enigste
stem wat die lewe in totaliteit in beslag neem.
Geloof, gehoorsaamheid en gebed is in ‘n onskeibare verband tot mekaar. Al drie maak deel
uit van die een Christelike lewe wat geleef word onder die Heer, wat Heer is oor die hele
skepping en ook oor die Christelike lewe. In geloof, gehoorsaamheid en gebed leef die
Christen in ooreenstemming met God se heerskappy oor die wêreld, die kerk en die individu.
Om ‘n Christen te word, beteken om te glo. Dit beteken om voortdurend weg te kyk van
sigself, na Jesus Christus, wat die mensdom regverdig ten spyte van hul ongeloof, ten spyte
van hul trots, ten spyte van hul geloof in hulself. Geloof vertrou nie op sigself nie, maar
vertrou Jesus Christus volledig.
Om ‘n Christen te wees, beteken om Jesus Christus te gehoorsaam. Dit beteken om sigself
oor te gee aan Jesus Christus as die enigste Heer wat gehoorsaam moet word in lewe en in
sterwe. Jesus Christus heilig die ongehoorsame en trae mensdom, wat aan die mens die
vryheid gee om op te staan en Jesus te volg in gehoorsaamheid.
Om op te tree as ‘n Christen, beteken om te bid saam met Jesus Christus. Dit beteken om in
die Naam van Jesus Christus, in die krag en teenwoordigheid van Jesus Christus, in die
genade en heerskappy van Jesus Christus, te vra dat ons in staat sal wees om te glo wat
ons nie self kan glo nie, en dat ons in staat sal wees om te gehoorsaam wat ons nie self kan
gehoorsaam nie.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/85778 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Van Zyl, Marthinus Stephanus |
| Contributors | Smit, D. J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xix, 280 leaves |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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